Non-bailable warrant issued against Union Minister M K Alagiri's son

A local court today issued a Non-Bailable Warrant against Durai Dayanidhi, son of Union Minister M K Alagiri, in the multi-crore illegal granite quarrying scam case, with DMK chief M Karunanidhi saying he does not know why his grandson is hiding.

The NBW against Dayanidhi, for whom a special police team is on the lookout, was ordered by Judicial Magistrate V Jayakumar at Melur in Madurai district on a police plea.

Dayanidhi and nine others are facing charges that firms owned by them had mined sand and granite without permission.

"I don't know why Durai is hiding... Government and judiciary can proceed legally. I'm not worried," was Karunanidhi's response to reporters queries on the NBW.

He also alleged that the Jayalalithaa government was indiscriminately filing cases against his partymen.

On the granite scam, Karunanidhi recalled his demand for a CBI probe covering the earlier AIADMK regime also.

Dayanidhi had earlier opposed the police plea, saying he had filed an anticipatory bail plea in the Madras High Court "in view of the changed situation in the case".

He had alleged he was being politically victimised as he was the son of a Cabinet Minister and grandson of Karunanidhi.

Police have charged Dayanidhi and Nagarajan, partners in Olympus Granites Pvt Ltd, with encroaching on the adjacent government land and taking away large quantity of granite illegally without quarrying in the permitted area and causing loss of Rs 44 crore to the Government by illegal quarrying.

Cases had been registered under various IPC sections including 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), 447 (criminal trespass) and 420 (cheating) against them.

Government cracked down on the firms after former Madurai Collector U Sahayam in a report, estimated the losses incurred from illegal granite mining at around Rs 16,000 crore.

Police had alerted immigration authorities to help them prevent Dayanidhi and other accused from leaving the country. The companies' accounts had already been frozen.

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